R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is an arcade-style racing game with a strong emphasis on powersliding around corners. Vehicles use one of two styles of powersliding depending on the make of car they select: Drift and Grip. Drift cars require players to tap the brake once while turning to break into a smooth powerslide while Grip cars requires players to alternate between brakes and gas while turning to powerslide. Vehicles are earned by playing through the game's Grand Prix mode. Players select one of four teams; R.C Micro Mouse Mappy, Pac Racing Club, Racing Team Solvalou, and Dig Racing Team, who each have varying difficulties, and one of four manufacturers; Age Solo, Lizard, Assoluto, and Terrazi, which determines the style of car and powerslide type the player will use. In each race, the player must attempt to reach a qualifying position, with later stages requiring players to place in higher positions to qualify. Depending on the qualifying position in each race, players will be awarded a new vehicle, or an upgrade to their current one, based on their team and manufacturer, with better cars earned for reaching consistently higher positions. There are a total of 320 vehicles earned by racing with every combination of team, manufacturer and qualifying position. If the players unlock all 320 cars, they will unlock an additional one modelled after Pac-Man, for a total of 321 vehicles. The game also features Time Attack mode, in which players can attempt to get the fastest time on each course, and VS. Battle, a split-screen mode for two players and an undocumented PlayStation Link Cable mode, allowing four players to play simultaneously. Players can also create their own car decors and participate in Extra Trials against powerful prototype cars. The game is also compatible with the JogCon peripheral and the PocketStation device, which allows players to trade cars with friends.
Release
A peripheral, the JogCon, was released alongside the game, packaged in special editions. The device features a steering wheel type device in the middle of the controller to provide accurate control.
Soundtrack
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Direct Audio is the soundtrack to the game, released in 1999 by Namco. It was the second game soundtrack to be released in the Ridge Racer series and was composed in 1998 by the Namco Sound Team. The new team was a change from the usual rave music theme that were supplied by Namco's old sound team, Sampling Masters, who worked on the first three installments: Ridge Racer, Ridge Racer 2, and Rave Racer, although Okubo had previously worked on Ridge Racer Revolution and with Nakanishi on Rage Racer. R4 instead explored music styles encompassing funk, breakbeat, acid jazz, UK garage, progressive house, and neo-soul mixed with traditional Namco-styled synth melodies. The track "Ridge Racer " features American singer Kimara Lovelace.
Reception
The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot said, "If you've ever cared about any of the games in the Ridge Racer series, then R4 is definitely the racing game for you." Next Generation called it "the best arcade-style racer yet seen on PSX: it's fast, fun, and highly addictive." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 35 out of 40. It was a commercial success in Japan, the UK, and the United States.
